Well it seems like only three months ago we were ringing in the summer here in
the northern hemisphere, but here we are on the first day of fall, as the
autumnal equinox will come today at 4:44 pm EDT. And following a recent trend,
it seems like mother nature is paying extra-close attention to the calendar, as
the local forecast calls for the coolest overnight temperatures since May. So
there: Happy autumn to those of us above the equator, happy spring to those
below the equator, and to those right along the equator, well, the best I can do
is suggest sunscreen and air conditioning.

LittleMe wrote on Sep 22, 2013, 13:34:The word deniers isn't scientific and neither is the article. The word deniers is used to associate them with holocaust deniers. It's also a sort of character assassination. Being skeptical IS science.

A big reason why there is so much consensus on anthropogenic global warming is because there is a LOT of money to say so. As in many, many billions every year. What happens to your scientific career if you come out skeptical about AGW? Your career is probably finished.

I guess personally I feel there is some AGW, but the issue has been blown way out of proportion and the greedy powers-that-be are scurrying to scam the world population on the most expensive con-job ever on AGW. There are much bigger issues looming over us, in my opinion.

Being skeptical IS science, but you don't see people denying the theory of gravity. That's about where we are with AGW. Almost no one with any knowledge of it denies it, and those that do are inevitably funded by industries whose interests lie in denying it.

As for the money, you're either trolling or ignorant. Exxon, just one company in one industry that relies on the status quo, made 44 billion dollars in profit last year. Total solar industry revenues (not profit) in the US is only 20 billion. Exxon could buy every single solar cell sold in the US twice over if it wanted. It's not even comparable. Petroleum has 20 trillion dollars in assets deployed world wide. It is the largest, most dominant industry on the planet. And this isn't to mention every other industry that needs to maintain the status quo: gas, coal, plastics, aviation, automotive, farming, pharmaceuticals, etc. etc.

Out of proportion? If anything scientists have been too cautious. They have consistently UNDER-estimated the rate at which change would occur. This should be terrifying. Scientists are the guys in the back seat telling us to slow down because there's a hairpin curve coming up, and the guy in the driver's seat decides to hit the accelerator and turn up the radio. And other passengers in the car say "I don't believe in hairpin curves. Just get me to the burger shop so I can stuff my face."